Unwanted Emotions: Story of an Arranged Marriage
by nicfanz
Summary: Forced into an arranged marriage, what happens when it's time for them to let go? Part 2 up! [completed]
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer: I don't own Randy Orton or Jackie Gayda or basically any characters in this story. **

_I was going to write a story out of this storyline with many chapters, but for now I've decided to write only a one-shot fic. Don't ask me why, cause even I am not clear. I just know that this have been in my mind for a while and I decided to write about it now. Maybe this will be a mini-series or maybe I'll write a novel fic. It all depends on your comments (ahem) and my current mood. Enough for now, enjoy my story!_

* * *

The television was turned on, and in her hand was a bowl of rocky road ice cream, her eyes focusing intently on the program in front of her. _Eternity _was her favorite soap opera and she never missed an episode. Even when on Raw, she always had someone taped it for her. It can be said she watched it religiously. Today's episode was an especially riveting one as Tony, the handsome son in his mid-twenties and heir to his father's empire, was betrothed to Melinda, the rich spoiled granddaughter and heiress to her grandfather's prosperous hotel chain. They despised each other yet were forced to participate in the arranged marriage. She leaned closer to hear every word of their conversation- or rather argument. 

"_I don't want to marry you!" Melinda screamed to the man before her._

_Tony glared at her coldly before stating, "The feeling's mutual."_

_Melinda screamed again and stomped her foot angrily. "I hate you! You- you- despicable excuse for a human being."_

_Tony stepped closer to her, his eyes filled with anger and rage. "At least I'm not some spoiled bitch," he retorted icily. _

She hadn't even noticed when the door opened behind her and a clear, familiar voice filled the room. "What are you doing?" were the first words that came from his mouth.

She didn't answer him and concentrated on the television screen. She could sense him moving closer behind her and began to tense up. But not in the usual way one would have thought, she wasn't scared of him. But she couldn't explain what the feeling was either. She just knew she was in an uncomfortable situation. She almost jumped when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Jackie…" his voice trailed off, but still no response from her.

Was she playing hard to get, she didn't know. She wanted to laugh at the thought. Playing hard to get were for people who were in love, yet one of them didn't want to admit it. That wasn't her, was it? She mentally shook her head. No, she had no feelings toward him. Not in the beginning, and surely not now. Then why was she here? The question led her to the beginning.

* * *

"_What?! I have to marry him?" Her mouth gaped open in shock and her eyes were wide as saucers. This couldn't be happening._

_The woman across from her gazed at her sadly. She knew how much her daughter didn't want this, yet there was no other way. "I'm sorry. It's just…I promised his mother when she was very ill. She would not rest-at least not with peace-until I promised. I didn't want to."_

_She could feel the tears springing from her eyes, making her vision blurry, yet she didn't care. "But why me?" she inquired with despair and curiosity._

_The woman sighed. "His mother felt you're the one who could make her son happy, that you're his soul mate."_

_She clenched the edge of the table tightly, not daring herself to let go, for fear of the consequences. "That's crazy! We hate each other!"_

_Her mother looked at her. Her eyes were understanding yet filled with pity. "I know. But she felt that your open hatred was masking your true feelings for one another."_

_Suddenly the atmosphere was warmer, the walls were closing in, and she found herself struggling to breathe. She clutched the front of her silk blouse, as if attempting to draw in air. She closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply, trying to clear her mind. She wished someone would knock her unconscious so she would not have to face this nightmare._

* * *

"…_in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" The minister looked up from his book and peered at them._

_She looked around the room, sublimely hoping someone would stand up and object; or for a huge crater to drop in through the roof of the chapel and prevent this predicament. But no such luck. She averted her gaze to the groom in front of her and hesitantly replied, "I do."_

* * *

"_I'm getting the master bedroom and you're sleeping in the guest room," she declared. _

"_Why do you get the master bedroom?" He jabbed a finger at her._

"_Because-because…" she paused, thinking of an answer, "I said so." She grinned triumphantly as if her reasoning was pure genius-at least she thought so._

_He huffed and scowled, "Fine."_

_She smirked as she watched him stomp away to his guest room. She peered inside the master bedroom and couldn't help fawn over the fancy furniture and palatial size. She could fit twenty people in there! She kept grinning as her eyes checked out the king size bed with silk drapes. She could get use to this._

* * *

"_Help me," she instructed the man beside her, who was busy wrapping Christmas presents._

_He looked up at her and his brows furrowed as he watched her struggle to put the star on top of the tree. She was standing on a steel chair, tip-toeing to gain some height. "You're going to fall if you keep doing that," he pointed out, and then went over to help her. He hoisted her on top of his shoulders so she could reach the top of the pine tree._

_She stretched her arm and smiled gleefully when alas the golden star was on top of the Christmas tree. She clapped her hands together and gushed, "It's so beautiful." She looked down at him and grinned. "Thanks." She had meant it too, which surprised her._

_He didn't respond, and just smiled-a sincere smile, which was rare, for them at least. She then started moving and he looked up at her. "What are you doing?" he questioned in confusion._

_She didn't say anything and jumped off his shoulders. He watched her run upstairs. A few minutes later, she bounced down the stairs holding a small box. _

"_This is for you," she had said, holding out her hand._

_He retrieved it slowly and glanced up at her. _

"_Open it," she told him, smiling._

_Curiously, he pulled off the lid, and inside was a ring. He stared at the ring and looked at her, wondering why she gave him such a gift._

_She took the ring from his hand and slipped it onto his finger. It was a perfect fit. "For you," she said quietly. _

_He kept looking at her, confused and searching for answers._

_Almost as if she could read his mind, she replied, "It's a friendship ring. It means we'll be friends forever."_

_He continued staring at the ring, not able to keep his eyes off of it. He smiled slowly as he thought of the meaning behind it. He gazed at her, seeing her sigh in relief. She probably interpreted his silence as a sign of distaste. "Thanks," he said sincerely._

"_You're welcome."_

_

* * *

She rolled the snow into a small, yet effective round ball and threw it at him. She pouted as he ducked. "You can't get away!" She threw it again and he ducked. While she was busy gathering more snow, she felt cold ice hit her arm, nearly knocking her over. "Hey!" she cried in mock indignation. She threw her ball of snow and this time, it hit him squarely in the face. _

"_Ow!" he cried._

_She quickly rushed over to him. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry." He was covering his left eye with his hand._

_Then suddenly, he removed his hand and grinned. "Got you!" He laughed at how gullible she was._

_She clenched her fists. "Randy Orton! You had me worried. I thought you were hurt." She turned away so he could not see the tears springing to her eyes. She felt his hand on her shoulder. _

"_Hey," he said softly, "I'm sorry. It was just a joke."_

_She turned to face him, face flushed with anger. "That wasn't funny! Couldn't you joke about something else?"_

_He looked down, kicking the snow beneath him. "I'm sorry," was all he could say. _

* * *

"_Look!" She pointed to the ceiling._

_He glanced up and notice there were some mistletoe hanging above. "Mistletoe…so what?"_

_She rolled her eyes at his dense question. "It means we have to kiss," she replied matter-of-factly._

_His eyes opened wide. The only time they kissed was on their wedding day. "W-What?" he stammered._

"_It's a tradition," she stated and before he could reply, leaned towards him and pecked him on the lips. _

* * *

And now she found herself sitting on the couch with him closely behind her. 

"You know the deadline is up," he broke in calmly, his blue eyes emotionless.

"I know," she acknowledged, not tearing away from the screen in front of her.

"Damn it, Jackie," he raked his fingers through his hair frustratingly, "say something! Don't you care?"

Does she care? He asked her if she cared. The whole year they spent together, through good times and bad, and he asked if she cared. She whipped around sharply, piercing hazel eyes glaring at him. "Of course I care!" she burst out.

He took a step back, shocked at her sudden outburst. He surely didn't expect that reaction. "If you cared," he started after regaining his composure, "then why are you paying attention to the show more than you do me?"

She looked down at the leather couch, admiring its smoothness. Then finally whispered, "You don't know how hard this is for me." She shut her eyes tightly. "You don't know how hard it is for me…knowing I have to let go."


	2. Part 2

"You don't know how hard this is for me." She shut her eyes tightly. "You don't know how hard it for me…knowing I have to let go."

The room fell silent, neither saying a word. All he could do was stand there gazing at the marble floor. He could feel his heart swell and his chest tighten. The pain was almost unbearable, and looking down was all he could do to keep from crying. If only she knew how hard it was for him too. He did not want it to end, but they had an agreement. It was only going to last a year and they will part their separate ways. After how much he complained about his dire situation, how could he go back now? Damn his pride, and curse his ego. If only he could place his heart first.

"When will we sign the divorce papers?" she spoke up suddenly, causing him to glance up.

"The day after tomorrow," he replied tonelessly. He noticed her fiddling with her wedding ring, feeling the stony diamond between her slender fingers. It was a habit of hers whenever she was stressed or depressed.

She nodded, indicating that she heard.

"You own half the house and will receive half of my fortune," he added, noticing her change of expression.

She shook her head. "No, I don't want anything."

His brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? They belong to you."

She laughed coldly; the sound was music to his ears but sent shivers in his heart as the tone was so distant. "They don't belong to me. Our marriage doesn't entitle me to anything tangible. It's not a game where you receive prizes when it's over."

He could see her blink away tears. Every tear was like a knife to his heart. It was like he could feel her pain, feel the emotions that are raging inside of her. He grasped her wrist, clutching it tightly, not wanting to let go. "Please," he begged, "take it. I want you to take it." He wanted her to at least leave with something.

She stared at him with glossy eyes. "Don't you get it?" she asked vehemently, "I don't need those things. I don't need you to fulfill my materialistic desires. They mean nothing to me."

He could feel her hand slipping away, and it was like part of him was slipping away. "What do you want?" he queried faintly, his voice trembling.

Not looking at him, she responded, "I want to remember the times we had. I want to freeze time. I want it to never end."

His knees shook, and he thought he would fall. His heart was about to burst, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "I want that too," he whispered. Then he thought of yesterday. (A/N: not literally yesterday, just the past)

* * *

'_Why me? Why pick me?' he couldn't help but think as he stepped out to the fresh air. His mother had informed him of the news, and he almost fainted with shock. He felt the world crumble beneath him, and his dreams shattering. It was like a boulder on his shoulder, and as the days passed by, the burden became heavier until he could no longer carry the weight. His bride-to-be wasn't the sole reason for his depression. He already had an interest, even if she didn't know. Now, he was afraid she will never get the chance to. _

* * *

"…_in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"_

_He looked at his bride and had to admit, she was beautiful. No, she was gorgeous, not beautiful. Beautiful was for someone who not only was physically alluring, but also had the soul to capture his heart; beautiful was from the inside._

* * *

"_Oops," she grinned sheepishly as she accidentally knocked over his high school wrestling trophies._

_His eyes widened at the fallen awards. He glared at her angrily. "Look what you did! What are you doing in my room anyways?" he demanded furiously. _

_She tapped her chin thoughtfully then finally replied, "I was bored so I went inside your room. I just wanted to check it out."_

_He grabbed her wrist and led her to the open door. "Next time stay out of my room," he warned, to which she childishly stuck out her tongue._

* * *

"_You're cooking dinner?" His nose wrinkled at the thought._

"_Yep," she replied cheerfully. She placed the plates of pasta down onto the dining room table._

_He leaned over to sniff it. It smelled okay. He was hoping it tasted the same. He picked up his fork and twisted the long strings of noodles into a tight knot and placed them inside his mouth. Surprisingly, it was delicious. He noticed her gazing at him, waiting for his reaction. His mouth curved into a small smile. "Hmmm…it tastes like cheap imitation rubber that my dog wouldn't even eat."_

_Her face fell at his verbal critique. _

_He then grinned and said, "Just kidding. It's good."_

_Her expression was from disappointment to shock to anger. She slapped him lightly on the arm with her napkin. "You jerk! I actually thought I was a bad cook."_

_He laughed at her fury and how she would place her hands on her hips. It was these little quirks that make Jackie...well…Jackie. _

* * *

"_Randy, no!" she screamed and pushed him away from the incoming vehicle. _

_He gasped in shock as she fell and held her ankle painfully. He rushed towards her. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly._

"_My ankle…" She closed her eyes tightly, tears trailing down from the corners._

"_Hold on okay? I'll call the ambulance." He quickly dialed 9-1-1 and reported the incident, informing them to hurry. He turned his attention to her. "Don't worry. Everything will be okay," he assured her._

* * *

They were now at the courthouse ready to sign the divorce papers. He watched her as she slowly picked up a ballpoint pen and hesitated. He glanced at his own documents and grabbed a pen on the desk and searched for the dotted line. _This was it_, he thought. This was the end. He lowered the pen onto the white paper, his hands shaking. He noticed his legal officer was looking at him expectantly. 

"Mrs. Orton, are you sure you want to do this?" he heard her legal officer ask.

Wait, _Mrs. Orton_? She didn't sign? He glanced over at her, noticing the papers were on her desk, but the dotted line was left blank. "Jackie?" he asked, confused.

She gazed at him. "I don't want this to be over. Not yet…" she whispered.

He felt his heart flip with joy. He grinned widely. "Me neither. I think we should set our own deadline."

She nodded in agreement. "When the flames burn out, the fire's gone and the passion disappears, then we leave."

He grasped her hand. "But I promise our flames will never burn out for I'll always keep the candle lit."

_

* * *

How did you guys like it? R&R!_


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